With Joe Carroll awaiting execution on death row and all signs of his following erased, Ryan Hardy has moved on from the dark events of his past. But his newfound happiness is shattered when a series of brutally staged tableaus threatens to tear open old wounds. Ryan and his team are forced to unravel a twisted web of violence before it destroys them all – leading them to face a terrifying truth: Joe Carroll was just the beginning.

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March 9, 2015

Ryan believes he has found the connection between Andrew and Mark, but he and the FBI are still unsure if – and how – Joe Carroll might be connected. Meanwhile, tension between Mark, Kyle and Daisy mounts and Ryan soon finds himself in a dangerous situation, in which facing the truth is the only thing that will set him free.

Upon hearing information regarding season 3 after the finale of season 2, many viewers expressed outrage in that the character of Joe Carroll will be heavily reduced as he is considered to be the driving force of the shows plot.

According to Marcos Siega, Joe will not escape this season. This is because Joe is not Hannibal Lecter[1].

Marcos Siega, executive producer of the show, has already come forth with information alluding to the direction of season 3. Though Siega has been quoted as saying that the writers aren't "sure yet", he has hinted that the character of Joe Carroll and Claire Matthews will not be playing much of an important role in season 3; even stating that the writers are "looking to shake things up" while moving the show in a new direction and bringing in "new villains". Season 3 will, in Siega's perspective, be the 'close' to what he and Kevin Williamson (executive producer of the show) have dubbed the "Joe Carroll chapters". Interviews made available as podcasts regarding the show have expressed conflicting information regarding the future of the characters of Joe Carroll and Claire Matthews, with writers and producers saying that they will be written off mid-season while Siega says that no one within the production is sure yet, that "anything could happen".

Siega also told interviewers that the relationship between Max Hardy and Mike Weston will be explored further in season 3, with them in love and living together. Jennifer Johnson, the showrunner, explains how Mike has been gone for four months at the start of season 3, but returns to be reunited with Max in the first episode.